Monday, May 30, 2011

Fans of Todd know how cool he is, and after reading the interview I know you'll agree.

Todd's appeared in some great movies, and a slew of great TV shows.

He certainly has some very interesting things to say about his experiences.

I hope you enjoy my interview with... Todd Robert Anderson.

1. What was the appeal to get into acting?

I got into acting in junior high when a teacher encouraged me to try it. I was lousy at sports, and found that people thought I was good on stage, and suddenly girls wanted to talk to me, so I stuck with it. Short answer: girls.

2. How did you get involved in the film, Blast From The Past?

I was actually working part time for Denise Chamian, the casting director for Blast from the Past. I filed headshots for her a couple hours a day, and kept her assistants laughing, so she gave me a shot at a small part, and Hugh Wilson dug my take on the part, so he cast me. It was my first theatrical job, after having done a few national commercials.

3. That movie seems to be on TV at least once a year, especially here in Australia. What was it like to film?

It does get a lot of TV play here, as well. And a lot of people seem to like it, it's become one of those "cable perennials," a movie that did modestly at the box office but has stuck with people through the years. I worked on it for a week and a half, and given how small my part was, most of that time was spent sitting around in my trailer or chatting with Alicia Silverstone's bodyguard in the parking lot (that guy told some stories!) Alicia was really sweet, Brendan Fraser was a nice guy and easy to work with although somewhat aloof so I didn't really get to know him personally, but easily the best part was talking to Dave Foley in between takes, getting the dish on Kids in the Hall, which I am a huge fan of to this day.

4. Weeds is a great success. What is it like to be a part of?

It was great to be a part of Weeds, and not just because it is a popular show and my part was really well written and I love to play bad guys. It was very special because it was the first year one of my best friends, Stephen Falk, joined the writing staff, and being the great guy he is, he went out on a limb and whispered in the casting director's ear to bring me in for the part (this is not something most people who just started on a job would do for a friend.) We have been working together for years, both on stage and in short films (you can see us lampooning Footloose on my YouTube channel, and hear us talking movies at http://www.filmpigs.com/) so it was a special pleasure to get to sit together on a set and work together in a professional atmosphere...it was the first time we have ever worked together and actually get paid to do it!

5. Were you concerned with the subject matter for Weeds?

The subject matter of Weeds doesn't bother me a bit. I like edgy entertainment to begin with, it's really the only thing that keeps me engaged...really, if something isn't pushing the envelope, then what's the point? I don't find anything that isn't challenging to be entertaining, I get bored easily. As far as pot itself, I don't understand what the big deal is. It really isn't any more or less harmful than alcohol, so if people want to toke up, I say let them!

6. What challenges did you face doing comedy on the Nikki TV series?

Nikki was a lot of fun. The biggest challenge we had was the fact that it was such a low rated show we had a hard time drumming up audiences to sit in the studio. Frequently, a bus was sent out into Los Angeles to recruit an audience with the promise of free pizza and soda. As a result, a lot of the people who came were Spanish speaking, and didn't understand a lot of what we were talking about. It's tough doing comedy in front of a live audience that doesn't get the jokes. They don't laugh, and a silent studio is a sad one. We still had a great time, though. It was one of my favorite experiences...it's great to have a writer's room that gets what you're doing as an actor and plays to your sensibilities.

7. What would be your ideal role?

I can't say I have an ideal role. I'll play pretty much anything. I would love to see one of the screenplays I've written get produced with me in the lead. For example, my writing partner and I wrote a screwball comedy about middle-aged people trying to recapture their spring break glory days called Vodka and Sand, and doing that would be a dream come true.

8. What’s coming up next for you?

I shot a shoestring budget feature called Fuzz Track City in which I play the lead role, which was a great experience, and the producers are hoping to get it out to some film festivals later this year. Beyond that, I am just driving around Los Angeles and going to auditions and trying to score the next job...such is the life of a character actor!

9. Is there an event or charity you would like to bring to my readers’ attention?

If you are interested in reading in detail what my career has been like, you can read my book "Don't Act: 101 Reasons You Shouldn't" which is available through Amazon (U.S. only, but I'm pretty sure they will ship overseas) or you can get it on Kindle. Also, I wrote a horror novel called The Last Road Trip which is available through Amazon and Kindle as well, in addition to other ebook platforms. I am currently working on a new horror novel called Headache Man. If you want to see me doing some no-budget sketch comedy you can check out www.jokeybits.com, which is a lot of fun.

Thanks for the interview Todd, you're super cool!

I hope the reader's dug this interview.Please feel free to leave a comment below.

I'm a fan of the Bill and Ted's movies, and subsequently, the comic book.

From reading them, and lovin' them, I began a fan of Evan Dorkin's work.

To this day I get a kick out of whatever Evan is currently working so.

So when I got the chance to interview him? Yep, I was rapt.

Enjoy!

1. How did you get involved in work as a writer?

I became a writer by accident. I grew up wanting to draw comics, but I never thought of myself as a writer or thought about becoming a professional writer. But in order to make my own comics as a kid, I had to have something to draw, so I wrote my own stories, which I guess is what everyone does at that stage. When the comic book industry went through a period often referred to as the “black and white boom” in the 80's – this was after the success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book led to a wave of speculation and a horde of small press publishers attempting to cash in on the black and white comic trend – a lot of rank amateurs entered the profession, they needed a lot of pages filled to produce all of those mostly-terrible comics. I was one of the people who managed to find work during that time, and after the trend died and the industry suffered major contractions post-speculation, I managed to hang on. I stumbled sideways into some small press work that I wrote as well as drew, and that led to my becoming a writer, more or less. I kept writing my own stuff, and then some folks hired me to write other stuff, and since work can often create more work, things just kept going and I ended up writing a batch of comics. Some producers who read my comics called me about doing some animation work, and that led to a few other jobs in the field. There was no plan, one thing just fell into another.

2. Please describe what it was like to write the Bill And Ted’s Excellent Comic Book.

There really wasn't any trick to it, other than keeping the characters in character, and trying to maintain the spirit of the movies in the comics. I've actually never seen the first Bill and Ted movie, I've only seen a few scenes, maybe ten or fifteen minutes all told, but I adapted the Bogus Journey sequel into comic form and between reading the screenplays and seeing the movie I got a pretty good feel for how the characters spoke and behaved. It helped that Bill and Ted are pretty much living cartoon characters, it's not like they're emotionally complex individuals. So it wasn't too difficult to write them. It was a lot of fun, though, their dialogue is colorful and has that not-too-bright surfer/slacker “dude”-speak that plays really well off smarter or more pretentious characters. Or the Grim Reaper.

The only other thing I had to keep in mind was that the comic series was ostensibly for younger readers, so I had to make sure the material never got too adult in nature or tone. Obviously my editors at Marvel and the company that owned the Bill and Ted property were looking over everything I did, and fortunately there were few instances where they objected to something I wrote. Beyond that the biggest job was to come up with some decent stories. Because Bill and Ted were so one-note I threw in a lot of new characters and ideas and used them to help spark plot ideas, along with using the characters and concepts from the two movies. Most of the stories were complete in one issue, I only did one extended storyline, a three-parter with the villain from the second movie and most of the cast from both movies. I tried to use all the characters as often as possible, I like ensemble casts and large casts of characters and this series lent itself to that approach. I also figured the fans would like to see the other characters from time to time. We knew the series was getting canceled before I started working on the twelfth and final issue, so I was able to wrap up everything and bring in every character from the series for a finale. It was a nice experience, a fun book to work on and the one and only time I ever worked on a monthly comic.

3. How hard was it to write the comic and keep it historically accurate?

I didn't write too much material based on historical fact, if I had the characters travel through time and set a scene or a story in the past I simply did a little research, like with the issue where Bill and Ted save Lincoln from being assassinated. And it ruins the future, so they have to go back and make sure he does get killed, which they don't particularly want to do, because he's there friend. But it's not like the Bill and Ted movies were documentaries or steeped in historical fact past some basic schoolbook stuff. The hardest part of the process was coming up with the stories and trying to make sure they had a solid beginning, middle and ending with some fun visuals here and there and some decent jokes. And trying to hit the deadlines, I ran late at one point and issue #8 was done by another creative team, I only drew the cover for that one. That still bugs me. I really wanted to do the entire series myself.

4. Is there any Bill And Ted’s story you wish you could’ve written?

I can't remember what my plans were beyond the last issue, to be honest. I do remember I was thinking about leaving the series at some point, I was running out of steam and struggling to come up with material. I was originally only going to do about four or five issues but I was enjoying the work and stuck with it, then we knew it was canceled so I wanted to finish what I started. I think I could have kept things going for a few more issues, but I was making things up pretty much as we went along, and I don't recall any long-term plans. I would have liked to have done more with Bill and Ted's wives, they weren't given much of a break in the movies, as far as having anything to do. I didn't give them a heck of a lot to do, either, I guess, but I made the attempt to give them some decent screen-time and have some things to do other than stand around saying how awesome their husbands were.

5. Please describe your work in cartoons and animation.

My wife, Sarah Dyer, and I co-wrote episodes of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Superman and Batman Beyond, we did some re-write work for Shin-Chan, a Japanese show that was brought over to America and aired on the Adult Swim, as well as some development work for some things that never got produced. We did a pilot for the Adult Swim back in 2002 called Welcome to Eltingville, which was based on the Eltingville Club stories from my comic, Dork. It aired a few times, but the project never went any further than that. Back in the 80's I did some storyboard clean-up work for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. More recently we've worked on Yo Gabba Gabba!, a kid's series featuring live action and animated segments. We've co-written several scripts with series co-creator Christian Jacobs, and worked on the Super Martian Robot Girl segments as well as a few Story Time cartoons. That's more or less the extent of our television work.

6. What’s coming up next for you?

I'm currently writing new stories for the Beasts of Burden series I collaborate on with artist Jill Thompson, which is published by Dark Horse Comics and is about a group of neighborhood dogs and cats who battle supernatural menaces in their town while the humans are blissfully unaware of what's going on. The first mini-series has just become available on Dark Horse's digital app and I'm happy to be working on a new set of stories. I'm also working on several things for Bongo for their Simpsons comics line, Sarah and I are co-writing an 8-page story for them which I'll then draw, and I've just finished up a 10-page story that she's doing the color work on. I've been doing work for Mad Magazine, various illustrations and writing something every once in a blue moon, I expect that will continue and I have a two-page art job in the issue which just came out. Next month Sarah and I are starting a small job for an animation studio, which looks like it will be fun. I've written an issue of Eric Powell's comic, The Goon, which will be out in August from Dark Horse. I'm also working on a few comics projects for the latter half of the year that I'm hoping will be announced sometime soon so I can talk about them.

7. Is there an event or charity you would like to bring to my readers’ attention?

Comics-wise there's always the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund http://cbldf.org/ which is set up to defend the comics medium and cartoonists in regards to first amendment/freedom of speech and expression issues. I realize there are a multitude of charities out there that need donations of time and money, and there are more vital issues out there, but there are few people taking care of this medium, and it's not as if helping out comics and cartoonists precludes anyone from donating to other worthy causes. I'd also like to mention Team Cul de Sac, a publishing and art auction project organized around Richard Thompson's Cul De Sac newspaper strip, the proceeds from which will benefit research into Parkinson's Disease. I'm planning on contributing a drawing to the fund-raiser,. If folks are interested in more information here's a link to Richard Thompson's blog where he writes up the project: http://richardspooralmanac.blogspot.com/2011/01/team-cul-de-sac.htmlEvent-wise, in June I'll be appearing at Heroes Con in Charlotte, North Carolina in the U.S if anyone cares.

Well Evan, I certainly care.And if I could make it there I certainly would.

So I urge all comic book fans in the local area to head on down, and when you spot Evan say hi. And pick up an issue or two he may have on offer.

I hope you guys dug this interview. Please leave a comment below.Until next time.

Is there anything this woman can't do? Have a read of my interview with Dana Gillespie and you'll soon realise the answer is no.

Enjoy!

1. What has been your favourite production as an actor?

I don't have any favourites as acting has always taken 2nd place to anything to do with music. Making records is what I really love to do

2. How did you prepare for your role in The Hound Of The Baskervilles?

All I had to do was breathe in and fit into the corset. I spent the whole time putting back the make up that would drip off due to laughter on the set as Dudley Moore was a really funny guy to work with

3. Were you familiar with the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle beforehand?

I've known of Doyle as a great supporter of spiritualism as he donated his home, after his death, to the Spiritualist Society, 10 minutes walk from my home

4. What was the appeal of filming The People That Time Forgot?

Any work that has a great location has an appeal for me and I had a good time with all the cast.

5. What would be your ideal role?

I have no ideal role. I certainly don't want to play Lady Macbeth. Singing is where my heart lies

6. What’s coming up next for you?

I have many Blues gigs across the world as well as singing the Sanskrit CDs I do, which is a type of music called Bhajans

7. Is there an event or charity you would like to bring to my readers’ attention?

The main charity gig that I do is to run the annual Mustique Blues Festival in the West Indies and it is now in it's 17th year, so it's doing well

I want to thank the very cool Dana Gillespie for her time on this interview. It was a pleasure to interview her and I hope you guys got a kick out of it.If you'd like to leave a comment below please do.Until next time.

I first noticed my next interviewee when he appeared as one of the acrobats in Batman Returns.

Then again when I saw the Sylvester Stallone film, Cliffhanger. Most recently in The Italian Job, and into a slew of TV shows like Bones and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

I'm referring to the actor, Gregory Scott Cummins.

I hope you enjoy this interview.

1. You've appeared in some major films. This must be satisfying for you as an actor.

YES, DEFINITELY. I'VE HAD LARGER AND MORE MEATY ROLES IN WHAT I'D CALL THE A-, B+, AND B FILMS. BUT IN THE MAJOR "A" GRADE FILMS, I'VE HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO SHOOT THEM IN SOME INCREDIBLE LOCATIONS AROUND THE WORLD, IN ADDITION TO WORKING WITH MANY OF THE BEST ACTORS AND DIRECTORS IN THE BUSINESS. THEY HAVE PROVIDED ME SOME AMAZING EXPERIENCES AND ADVENTURES.

2. How did you get involved with Batman Returns?

EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A SMALL ROLE, TIM BURTON HAD INTERVIEWED A LOT OF STUNT PEOPLE FOR THAT ROLE BUT WASN'T SAFISFIED. I HAD PREVIOUSLY SHOT A LEAD ROLE ON AN INDEPENDENT LOW BUDGET FILM DIRECTED BY THE 2ND UNIT (STUNT DIRECTOR) OF "BATMAN RETURNS" MAX KLEVIN. SO HE REMEMBERED MY WORK IN THE FILM I ACTED IN FOR HIM AND HE SAID TO TIME BURTON - THAT IF HE DIDN'T LIKE ME FOR THE ROLE - HE'D RESIGN (HALF JOKING I'M SURE) -SO HE TOOK ME IN TO MEET AND AUDITION FOR TIME BURTON - AND I GOT THE ROLE.

3. Did you interact much with the cast of the film, Cliffhanger?

OH YES, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE INCREDIBLE FILMS I HAVE DONE WHERE IT WAS A COMPLETE ADVENTURE - HARD DIFFICULT CONDITIONS IN THE ITALIAN ALPS - BUT ALSO THE MOST INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCES - SEEING PLACES AND LOCATIONS THAT A PERSON WOULD SPEND A FORTUNE AND HALF A LIFETIME TRYING TO VISIT. THE COMRADERIE THAT THE ENTIRE CAST DEVELOPED WAS VERY STRONG. WE ALL BECAME EXTREMELY CLOSE - BECAUSE WE WERE SHOOTING IN INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL - BUT RUGGED AND DANGEROUS PLACES AND CONDITIONS - SO WE ALL BONDED - LOOKED OUT FOR EACH OTHER - AND SPENT A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER. IN THOSE DAYS A 6 MONTH SHOOT WAS CONSIDERED A FAIRLY LONG ONE. TO THIS DAY, WHENEVER I RUN INTO JOHN LITHGOW, WE BOTH IMMEDIATELY REMEMBER HOW INCREDIBLE THAT EXPERIENCE WAS AND GREET EACH OTHER AS IF WE HAVE NEVER BEEN OUT OF TOUCH. JOHN LITHGOW IS ALSO ONE OF THE NICEST GUYS I HAVE EVER MET - IN OR OUT OF THE BUSINESS. AND STALLONE WAS GREAT FUN TO WORK WITH AS WELL - AN ACTING ICON WHO COULDN'T HAVE BEEN NICER OR MORE FUN TO WORK WITH.

4. You've also appeared in TV shows. Have you noticed much difference between TV and film?

GENERALLY, TV SHOWS HAVE TO SHOOT MUCH MORE QUICKLY. YOU HAVE ABOUT 7-8 DAYS TO SHOOT AN HOUR EPISODE (40-45 MINUTES MINUS COMMERCIALS ROUGHLY). FILMS CAN TAKE A LOT MORE TIME GENERALLY. OF COURSE THERE ARE BIG AND LOW BUDGET FILMS - AND ALL HAVE TIME PRESSURE - BUT TV HAS NO OPTION OF SHOOTING OVER THE SCHEDULED SHOOT DAYS. BUT AS AN ACTOR PLAYING DIFFERENT CHARACTERS - THERE'S NO MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FILM AND TV - IT'S ALL ACTING - A LOT OF VERY HARD WORK - AND SOMETIMES A LOT OF FUN MIXED IN.

5. Please describe your work on the Buffy TV series.

ALWAYS FUN TO HAVE THEM DRESS ME UP AS A VAMPIRE - WITH THE FANGS! IT'S LIKE PLAY ACTING WHEN WE WERE KIDS RUNNING AROUND AND HAVING FUN - OR WEARING A NEAT HALLOWEEN COSTUME.

6. What was the appeal of appearing on Buffy?

THIS SHOW HAD A HUGE FOLLOWING, AND I ALWAYS LOOK FOR WORK WITH THE BIG HIT TV SHOWS. I'VE BEEN AMAZED AT THE FOLLOWING THAT SHOW STILL HAS TO THIS DAY, AND THAT'S PRETTY COOL.

7. What would be your ideal role?

OH BOY, I'VE BEEN PLAYING A LOT OF BAD GUYS FOR YEARS - BECAUSE I KIND OF TYPE CAST MYSELF IN THE BEGINNING OF MY CAREER IN ORDER TO GET CASTING DIRECTORS TO REMEMBER ME. IT WAS CONFUSING FOR THEM WHEN I WOULD SHOW UP IN TWO VISITS LOOKING AND SPEAKING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. MANY TIMES THEY WOULDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE ME THE SECOND VISIT BECAUSE I'M KIND OF LIKE A CHAMELEON - AND CAN CHANGE MY APPEARANCE GREATLY - AND MY VOICE AND BODY MOVEMENTS ETC. SO RIGHT NOW - I WOULD LIKE A CHANCE TO SHAVE AND CUT MY HAIR AND PLAY A REGULAR RUNNING ROLE ON A HIT TV SERIES. IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A CONSISTENT JOB AND EVERYTHING THAT COMES WITH THAT. I'VE ALWAYS WORKED A LOT - BUT IT CAN BE EXHAUSTING RUNNING FROM ONE PROJECT TO ANOTHER TO ANOTHER - AND AUDITIONING A LOT IN BETWEEN. IT CAN WEAR YOU OUT. IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A CHANCE TO JUST WORK WITHOUT HAVING TO DO SO MUCH WORK TO GET WORK. I WOULD LOVE HAVING A RUNNING ROLE ON A COMEDY AS WELL.ADDITIONALLY, I ALSO LOOK FORWARD TO THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE MY OWN ROLES IN MY OWN FILMS. I HOPE TO START DOING THAT SOON.

8. What's coming up next for you?

THAT'S THE NEAT THING ABOUT MY JOB - RIGHT NOW - I'M LOOKING FOR MY NEXT JOB - AND THAT MAKES EVERY DAY A CHALLENGE - BUT ALSO EXCITING. I NEVER KNOW WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT - UNTIL A JOB COMES - AND THEN IT'S ALWAYS A HUGE RUSH.

9. Is there an event or charity you would like to bring to my readers' attention?

I SUPPORT POLICE AND FIREFIGHTER HELP FUNDS - AS WELL AS CANCER RESEARCH.

I want to thank Gregory for his time and enthusiasm on this interview. It made it a lot of fun to do and I wish him all the best with his future projects.

If you like what you see and you want to comment I'd love for you too. Please do so below.Until next time!

The movie caters for the type of person who doesn't appreciate the life they have, and want to get away from it all at every possible moment.

The typical wanker who'll like this movie is exactly like Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper).Phil's got a good job, a wife and kid, but pretty much the first words to utter from his smart mouth are "I hate my life."In the next scene, the wake-up morning after scene, we see a woman walking out of Phil's bedroom, alluding to the point that they've slept together.Yeah, just the person I want to follow for the next hour or so as the plot pans out.Guys like Phil need a firm kick up the ass.

And the same goes for Bradley Cooper. The guy plays the same role over and over again, and I'll admit it's worked for him.

But if you're sitting there thinking Bradley Cooper is someone to look up to, and some one to be friends with, you'd be mistaken. He seems like just the type of guy who'll screw you over at a moment's notice, behind your back.

One upside to this movie is Stu Price, played by Ed Helms. I've watched Ed Helms in the US version of The Office, and I think he's hilarious.He certainly plays the part right.

Another drawcard is Alan (Zach Galifianakis).I'm not a fan of Alan's character as at times I find him to be annoying.But that's he's appeal and I can see why so many people like him.

The one moving the story along is Doug (Justin Bartha), the groom.I remember seeing Justin for the first time in Nicolas Cage's Disney movie, National Treasure. Each time Justin was on scene I just couldn't forget him at the end of National Treasure, revving the crap out of a high performance car, possibly destroying the engine.

A return to form (she's been in a few good movies) is Heather Graham.Sure, she finally gets her boobs out in this movie, but that's the breast feed. So the magic is kind of lost.She does have a few funny lines though.

One role I did enjoy was Mike Tyson's, in which he played himself.I'd just watched the Tyson doco, of which I may review here some time. As funny as Mike was in this movie I just thought of his doco, and what was going through he's life at the time I watched The Hangover.Poor guy.

Now, my rating... Well, this is a road trip movie. I hate road trip movies from the get-go. They frustrate me. This one frustrated me in particular as the humour felt forced.And most of the humour was humour I either didn't get, or just thought childish.

So, I'll say 3 out of 10.

If you want to voice your opinion to this review please feel free to. I look forward to it.

Monday, May 16, 2011

From Star Trek to I, Spy, Garth Pillsbury appeared in some great tv shows.

When the opportunity came up to interview him, I simply could not let it slip me by.

I hope you enjoy my interview with... Garth Pillsbury.

1. How did you get involved in acting?

I first became involved with acting when I appeared as a 10 year old in the play "I remember mama" in Portland, Oregon. I had an aunt there and would visit her upon occasion during the Summer months. My mother and Stepfather were both artists. My mother was a sculptress and never lived in any one place for more than about 2 years. At the beginning of my remembrances of my childhood we moved around the San Francisco Bay area quite a bit. Then when I was about 12 we moved to Mexico for about a year. Then to Texas for about a year. At about this time we gathered up our belongings and moved to N.Y.C. For some reason or other I decided just before we left for the big apple I wanted to be an actor. Upon arriving in N.Y.C I auditioned and was accepted into the "High School of Performing Arts". A high school that catered to those interested in dance, music or drama. Hollywood made a film about this high school several years ago called "Fame".

2. What is it like to be involved in television?

I've worked as an actor in two different areas of T.V. Soap Operas and episodic T.V. At the beginning of my doing Soap Operas it was quite nerve racking for in those days they had no way to edit the tape and if a mistake was made they had to back up to the previous break and start over. The parts I did on the Soaps were small. Hired for the day. A lot of pressure for they'd be shooing a whole script on one day. So I was often worried that if I made a mistake and cost the studio the money to start the scene over again, the word would get out not to hire me again. Of course leads and movie stars really don't have to worry about this. For after all at that point they need you.Episodic T.V. was being shot on film and I never felt the same pressure, for there they could just re shoot that scene only and if need be there was more time to rehearse.

3. Is that a medium you prefer to work in?

A problem (at least for me) in doing a film as an actor it is quite disconnected. You can shoot the end of the script first, then go to the beginning, etc.,etc. So you, or should I say I, don't get into the flow of it.During the filming of "Mirror, Mirror" (Star Trek), Shatner wouldn't let me throw the punch at him when he exited the elevator. Probably felt I might be to zealous and accidentally really hit him. Can't say I blame him even though I knew I wouldn't connect.

4. What particular projects attract you as an actor?

An actor wants to work. Television and film pay extremely well. One is treated very, very well on the set. I personally believe film and T.V. is a director and editor's medium and really not an actors medium. In terms of really getting ones teeth into a part as an actor, stage is where it at. One can be a somewhat poor actor in film and be made to look quite good. This is not true for stage work. There's no retakes, no cut aways, no editing. It really just you up there. Good or bad.

5. Have you done any convention work for the shows you’ve appeared on?

In August of this year I'll be at a "Star Trek" convention in Las Vegas. This will be my first.

6. What’s coming up next for you?

Starting later this month I'll be getting involved with a group that does classical plays and Shakespeare. Hollywood is not a theater town. Although there are quite a few small theater groups. It's rather rare for an actor to land a part either in film or T.V. from his or her work in theater. But as I mentioned, actors want to work. Even if upon occasion they have to pay to be involved.

When I came across Rich Koslowski's website and found that he'd done some work for The Simpsons comic book I just knew I had to interview him.

What transpired was a very interesting interview indeed.

Enjoy my interview with... Rich Koslowski

1. How did you get involved in drawing Simpsons Comics?

Sheesh! That was so long ago I'm going to have to dig deep to remember...and I only really did a few jobs for them... My self-published comic book series The 3 Geeks was at the height of its popularity back around 1999 and I parlayed that popularity by approaching Bongo. I asked if I could submit some story ideas and they were very receptive and excited as they were familiar with my work. A few weeks later I submitted several story pitches and then did a "sample" batch of drawing tests.I was approved and several story ideas were also approved. I was extremely excited as I was a huge fan of the show and saw this is a great opportunity for my career. I told EVERYONE I was going to be working on The Simpsons!... Mistake.Unfortunately I only ended up doing 3 or 4 newspaper strips for them. They were pretty difficult to work with at the time. It was a good year and a half of very poor communication on their part and, ultimately, I got upset and sent them a letter stating just that. They did end up writing me a very long apology, and half of the money I was promised on the scripts, and also promised that the communication would improve and my stories would be published "very soon." Alas, that never happened. All-in-all a very difficult and sad chapter in my professional career.

2. Which character is your favourite to draw?

If you're talking Simpsons again?...Well, I really enjoyed doing Simpsons/super-hero parodies and was quite good at them while I was, briefly, doing work for Bongo. But after the disappointment I couldn't stomach drawing any of them anymore.

3. What do you think is the appeal of The Simpsons?

The first 5-6 seasons were brilliantly written. I thought the show has gone downhill since then but in it's prime it was the best show on tv.

4. What differences are there between Simpsons work and other comic book work?

Well, the experience completely blew! Usually it doesn't..."completely blow" that is.

5. Have you attended any comic conventions?

Oh yes! Over the past 20 years I've done at least 100 or more conventions. It's a pivotal part of the industry and self-promotion. In the first couple years I was doing The 3 Geeks I'd hit at least 12 shows a year to promote the book. It was very exciting but very exhausting. I've scaled it down in the past few years since my daughter was born. Now I'll attend maybe 5-6 a year. I make sure to hit Comic-Con, APE, WonderCon, Minnesota Fallcon, Baltimore Comic Con as they are some of my favorites.

6. Can you please tell us about any of your self-created works?

The 3 Geeks is about rabid comic book collectors. Three very over-the-top geeks told with a very 'tongue-in-cheek" brand of humor. I "have fun" with the characters not "make fun"... this is very important to me as they're near and dear to my heart and, hey, I'm a geek too! I've been running that series since 1997! In 1999 Image Comics took over publishing it and we changed the title to Geeksville and expanded the format. It was also nominated for three Eisner Awards in 1999! I've also had three pretty successful graphic novels published; Three Fingers, The King and BB Wolf And The Three LPs. All have been well-received critically and sold very well. I also wrote an illustrated novel, The List, in 2007. A gritty Christmas tale that we're currently pitching to several studios and getting some serious interest.

7. What’s coming up next for you?

I've been focusing on developing many of my ideas for film recently but I'm about to start a new graphic novel soon. I've also got a good 3 or 4 comic book series in the works. There are several publishers interested in working with me, I just have to settle on which project I want to start first. As comics and GNs are so labor intensive, and such a major commitment, I want to be absolutely sure of which one to do first. I also continue to do freelance work for many studios including Archie Comics which has kept me busy for the past 20 years as one of their Inkers.

8. Is there an event or charity you would like to bring to my readers’ attention?

Well, Free Comic Book Day is coming up May 7th! I think it's a great event in comics and a wonderful tool to get new readers into comic book stores. I also always make sure to donate art and books to "The Hero Initiative" and the "Comic Book Legal Defense Fund." Both great causes. The Hero Initiative is dedicated to raising money for retired comic book creators. Many of our greatest artists and writers are facing financial difficulties and I couldn't be happier helping raise money for them. It is an honor to do so as so many of them have given me such wonderful memories. And the CBLDF raises money for shop owners and creators who find themselves facing great legal challenges that they can't afford to fight. Also a privilege to help with that cause.

Okay, I realise I haven't posted on this blog for a while. What can I say? I've been busy.

Busy getting some great interviews for you guys.

Case in point, Anthony Forrest.

For all of you who are thinking, Anthony who? Read on and you'll see Anthony Forrest is a great actor. And great actor to interview.

1. How did you become an extra on The Spy Who Loved Me?

As with a number of actors playing mainly American roles and based the UK, I was cast through the casting director who had cast me previously in another project contacing my agent. There were a number of us who were cast in acting roles as opposed to extras, to play characters as part of the crew USS Wayne. Fortunately, the small roles we did play were paid at Equity Union rates.

2. What can you tell us about your time on the set of the Bond film?

It was December and the James Bond sound stage at Pinewod Studios is vast in size and cold like a fridge. We played a lot of poker while waiting for the special effects teams to rig explosions, squibs etc. Lewis Gilbert the director was easy to work with, a real gentleman, I was fortunate he chose me to play the scene with Roger Moore as part of the bomb disposal team. As with filming large scale action sequences things can go wrong and the set did catch fire on one occasion during filming. Some of the explosions in the control room started to burn the set and the overhead canopy caught fire showering us in burning ash, Roger Moore included.

3. How do you find directing over acting?

The demands of the director versus the actor are totally different. As an actor you are part of the director's vision, as the director you are the vision. It helps to have the experience of being an actor; in working with actors, you naturally care about giving the actor the best possible environment to nail their performance and take risks, to push the envelope. As a director I have a clear vision and battle plan of preparation, but I also trust the people I am working with to contribute creatively, its a team game. You have to be a good quarterback. Things can change from moment to moment when you are filming, flexibility and the ability to adapt and improvise are important to me when directing. I prefer directing as I have always been a storyteller, I write volumes of work; scripts, plays, books, songs, that will probably never sees the light of day, but that doesn't bother me... I still keep doing it... it's who I am. I am engrossed in the journey of the story... once I start, I personally need to know where it ends. There is a point, in the story when I am creating, that the characters take over , and I am just along for the ride.

4. What preparation work do you do before each role?

If I am preparing for an acting role, I do my homework get the text out the way. I feel I need to know the scene blind-folded, to visual the moment. Then I forget everything I have put into breaking the character down... and come to the performance fresh and prepared to take risks...

5. What would be your dream acting role?

My dream acting role would be to play... the Ancient Mariner, in 'The Mariner', as scf-fi adaptation I have written based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 'Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner'.

A huge thank you to Anthony for his time with this interview. I loved it.